The Letter
by Shelley421
Summary: When Dimitri leaves Rose after the attack, he doesn't know that he's leaving her with more than a broken heart. What happens when they meet again five years later in the most unexpected of places.
1. My Life in a Nut Shell

My Life in a Nut Shell

It's been five years. Five years since I fell in love. Five years since my love left me. Five years ago, my love broke me, but it also gave me the most precious of gifts, my daughter, Katya. And the man responsible for my suffering and joy? Dimitri Belikov. Dimitri was on the team of guardians who brought my best friend, sister, and charge back to the Academy after running away two years before. He was my mentor. My own personal Russian god. He was my rock, my anchor to sanity and my hope of a future not ruled by spirit's darkness. He was my love, my lover.

After we gave into our feeling for each other in the cabin, the Academy was attacked by Strigoi. I was lucky; no one I loved was killed, but one of my closest friends, Eddie Castile, was taken, along with a dozen or so others. We went on a rescue mission and managed to recover eight of the twelve capture Moroi and Dampirs. Eddie was amongst then. Life at the 's Academy went back to normal after that, well, as normal as it could be. But there was only the underlining tension and grief. You could feel it. It clung in the air and tried to suffocate you. Yet, I was content. I had Dimitri. Lissa was safe, for the time being, and Pyro (Christian) and I were back to our old familiar bickering.

All was good and well for a week or so. Right away I noticed a change in Dimitri. He was distant. I could see a battle raging in him every time he looked at me. I tried to ignore it, be happy and untroubled for a little while longer, but I couldn't.

When I asked him what was wrong, he just put on his Guardian mask and changed the subject. A few days later, he was gone. I went to check if he was in his room but instead of finding my key under his mat, I found a note. It was addressed to me. Somehow, intuition I guess you could say, I knew what it would say. I brought it back to my room, sat on my bed, opened the letter and read.

_Dear Rose, _

_I'm sorry I couldn't do this in person, but I knew that I wouldn't be able to keep my resolve if I did. So I am writing you a note instead. I'm leaving. I've been offered a guardian job abroad and I took it. It is a once in a lifetime opportunity. I realized after the rescue mission that we can't be together. I love you, I always will, but we are Guardians. Please, Don't try and find me._

Love you always and forever

_Dimitri Belikov_

I spent the next few days in my room crying. On the third day, I realized that I needed to pull myself together. I had to be strong for Lissa. She needed me. We still had a month and half before graduation and she would need me. So, I put all of my pent up emotions into my training. I got up at the same time I would if I still had training with Dimitri, and well…I trained. And believe me, I trained hard! By the time graduation came around, I could take down any guardian at this school. Alberta was more difficult but sometimes I actually won. I graduated top of my class. I was, to no ones surprise, assigned to Lissa. We moved to court and, again, to no ones surprise, Christian accompanied us. They were going to be starting University in half a year.

A week or so after we moved to court, I started feeling…odd. I would puke at random timed. I ate more than usual and if you know me, you would have thought it impossible. But the thing that really had me stumped was the fact that my period was two weeks late.

You can understand why I was so confused, I mean, I'd only had sex once and it was with another Dampir, Dimitri. Dampirs can't have children with each other. It's genetically impossible. Lissa had noticed my symptoms too. To say that she was confused would be an understatement. I hadn't told her about Dimitri, so she till thought I was a virgin. She confronted me and I told her. Everything. Even though it was "impossible" for me to be pregnant, she made me take the test. And against all odds, it came back positive. I was pregnant. I was pregnant at eighteen! I was pregnant to another Dampir! We went to the doctor but I didn't tell her that my baby was the child of two Dampirs. I didn't want he or she to be some science experiment. Every one would want to do tests on us. So, I let them believe what they wanted to believe. Some said I was just a blood-whore, some thought Adrian was the father. We all had a good laugh about that theory.

So, life went on. I had a beautiful baby girl and named her Katya. I means pure in Russian. I tried to contact Dimitri. I thought he should know that he was going to be a father, even if he didn't want to be in our lives. But, I couldn't find him. No one seemed to know where he was. 

Lissa and Christian took a year off of school to help me raise Katya. Even my mom pitched in. I think she was trying to make up for missing my childhood. When Katya turned two Liss and Fire Boy went back to school and I went with them. I wasn't there as their Guardians but I still went. They finished school a year ago now, and e moved back to court. I'm a Guarding Lissa again now and Katya goes to the school here at court.

As for my love life, it is non-existent. Adrian and I tried to be more than friend for a while but I couldn't do it. He's like a brother to me. I am happy. I love my daughter. She is smart, funny, beautiful, and just overall perfect. She is a perfect combination of Dimitri and I. She has my figure thought she will be taller than me. She has my hair and Dimitri eyes. Utter perfection. But there is always a part of me that is yearning for Dimitri. I miss him so much. If it weren't for Katya, Liss, and, dare I say, Pyro, I don't know how I'd deal with the pain. But I _do_ have them. Like they say; life goes on.


	2. Saturday with Katy

Chapter three

"Wake up Katy." I said. God I hate mornings.

"Noooooo." My little girl whined. She is so much like me it's scary. She absolutely hates getting up in the mornings.

"Katya, it's Saturday. That means that if you don't get up you can't come to the gym with me." I said.

When I said this she shot out of bed, running to the bathroom to freshen up. Katy loves going to the gym. All the guardians here love her and she, like me, loves to be the centre of attention. I take every Saturday off so that I can spend it with my little girl.

While she was in the bathroom, I set out her clothes on her bed for her, and packed her gym bag. After a few minutes, she ran back in and ushered me out of her room. I walked down the stairs and into the kitchen where Christian was making breakfast. I was still tired. Lissa and Christian had had a…full night, so I didn't get much sleep.

"How'd you sleep?" Pyro asked knowingly with his signature smirk.

"Wipe that smirk off you're face before I do it for you lover boy." I said back while giving him the famous Hathaway death glare. That just made his smirk grow wider.

We continued like this for a few more minutes before Lissa walked in and rolled her eyes at us, walking up to Christian and giving him a kiss on the cheek. Katya chose that moment to run into the room, catapulting herself into my waiting arms. We've had this morning routine for a long time now.

Then she noticed the food and you could practically see the drool coming out of her mouth.

"Fooood." She practically purred. Making us all laugh. One thing Katy _really _doesn't like is when people laugh at her. She turned on us, wiggling out of my arms and glaring the famous Hathaway dearth glare. This just made us laugh harder. She was about to turn around and storm off when I grabbed her. She struggled futilely as I tried to explain.

"Katy, we're only laughing because your so much like I was at your age." I said, trying to stop laughing. This made her stop struggling.

"Really?" She asked. I nodded seriously and she beamed at me.

Breakfast was amazing, as usual. Christian is the chef in our house. Liss and I can't cook for our lives, though Katy looks like she has promise. She loves to cook.

Lissa brought me back to reality. "I think we need a vacation. Katy will get off for Easter break in a few days I think we should go away. Rose, you have that time off so you wouldn't have to work. What do you guys think?" She asked innocently. Oh she is going to pay big time. That sneaky little minx. She sooo knew that if she said it in front of Katy that we'd have no choice but to go.

"Yay! We're going on a vacation! We're going on a vacation!" Katy chanted. I looked accusingly at Lissa and she just looked at me innocently.

"Where would you like to go Katy?" Asked Lissa.

This stumped her. "Umm…. Russia!" She said finally. I felt a familiar pang in my heart. Katy may seem like a miniature me, but there is so much of her like her father. She can be so serious, beyond her years, she is caring, brave, understanding, intelligent, and they both have the power to calm me down. I love them both so so much. They are my world.

Lissa side glanced at me. Through the bond she asked if I would be all right to go there. If Katy wanted to go, I wasn't going to ruin it for her, so I gave Liss a reassuring smile. She smiled back.

"So, when are we going?" I asked. I had arranged for another Guardian to guard Liss for my time off but since we were gong away now, I needed to make sure that they were okay with that.

"Well Katy gets of school in five days so I was thinking we could go in six. Say Friday?" Lissa asked.

"Okay." We all said. Katy jumped out of my arms and jumped at Lissa, hugging her tightly and thanking her repeatedly. Then she ran upstairs to go and make sure she had everything she wanted to take with her, making us all laugh again.

I spent the rest of the day with Katy. We went to the gym and then out to lunch. After lunch we went to the playground where she dumped a bucket of sand on a little Moroi boy's head. In her defence, the little brat deserved it. But I still had to deal with a very upset mother. Defiantly a Zekloz. While Katy played with her friend I got lost in my thoughts. My mind automatically drifted to Dimitri. I could never really make sense of my feeling regarding him. I know that I still love him and that I always will, but that's about it. I could never hate him and I can't really blame him for leaving. It's just the way he did it. Did I really mean as little to as that he couldn't spare the time to tell me?

My mind cringed from my train of thought and I focused on my daughter instead. My beautiful, healthy daughter. She would always be my baby girl. My gift from God. Thought I can't fathom what I did so right that I could ever deserve her. When she was younger she asked me if she had a daddy too. I can't tell her that her father was a Dampir or his name so she settles for things about him. Small facts, like what kinds of books he read, Katya loves books, what he looks, his family, etc. It makes me sad that her father isn't here. She deserves to know him. Every little girl needs her daddy. I used to want one too. Then I came to terms with the fact that he is probably just some ass-hole who goes around luring young vulnerable girls into his pants.

When we got home Lissa and I discussed the trip more and started to make preparations. We decided that we would go to Moscow and Novosibirsk. We would spend one week in each place. Lissa would arrange hotels and I was in charge of transportation.

That night, like so many others, I fell asleep with images of Dimitri in my head. My love.


	3. Pictures of a Child

Pictures of a Child

The rest of the week passed much the same. I did my rounds around court. Checking the wards and such. While not on duty I spent time with Katya and everyone. I said good-bye to Adrian, Mia and Eddie. Mia and Eddie started dating about a year and a half ago. It's very rare for a Moroi and a Dampir to be a relationship that people tend to stay away from them. It's frowned upon. But, I must say, they have to be the happiest disgraced couple in the history of the world. I'm happy for them. Katy loves to hang out with them so we see them a fare bit.

We're leaving in a few hours. I am totally looking forward to twelve hours with a killer headache. Not. I'm not that worried about Katy. She loves planes and will probably just spend the whole flight watching movies.

Even though I would never admit it, since I met Dimitri, though I implied otherwise, I've been curious to see what he described as his home. Why he loved it so much there. Why my Katya wants to go there so desperately. I'm sure that part of her curiosity is because she knows that her daddy grew up there.

Just thinking about him caused my chest to throb painfully. I was brought back to reality by Katy pulling on my leg.

"Come on mommy! The jet's here. Hurry up." She said. Lissa being the last Dragomir princess has its perks. Flying in private jets is just one of them.

Katy was practically bouncing in her seat the whole way there. Me; I got Lissa to put me to sleep by compulsion. The ghosts were too much for me in the air. Over the years, I've built up my walls and blocks; so they didn't affect me when I was out of a warded area. Being in the sky in an un-warded area is another matter entirely. The only way I knew what was happening was because I was in Lissa's head.

When we arrived in Moscow, we were greeted by the two guardians assigned to Lissa and Christian for the duration of our stay. Their names are Guardian Mikhail Novikov and Guardian Alexander Ivanov. Mikhail is the more built of the two, thought I had a feeling he was just a big teddy bear. Alex is lankier, thought his muscles are quite big. Mikhail's dark feature contrasted nicely with Alex's blond hair and blue eyes. To put it short: they are both extremely handsome. But they still had nothing on Dimitri. I know I'll get along great with Mikhail.

Thought I wasn't on guardian duty, I still kept an eye out for trouble.

The suite I was sharing with Katy was amazing! In our bedroom, there were two queen beds, a huge walk-in closet and a TV. The bathroom had a shower the size of my bed and lets not forget the jacuzzi. The suite also had a small kitchenette. It was amazing! I gave Katy a quick bath and then put her to bed. Once she was asleep; I had a shower and unpacked. I'd slept for the whole ride here so I wasn't ready to go to bed.

While I was unpacking Katy's things, I came across something I'd never seen before. It was a small picture that she had obviously drawn. Seeing it broke my heat all over again. She and I were standing beside each other in front of a big house. The thing that surprised me the most was that we weren't alone. Standing on the other side of Katy was what looked like a man? Above him, written in her messy scrawl, was a label saying "daddy". Oh, my poor baby. She deserves her father. I have always known that, even though they'd never met, she missed him, or at least the idea of him. I didn't notice that I'd been crying. I quickly wiped away the lingering tears and got in to bed. I was suddenly exosted.


	4. Meet the Belikovs

Meet the Belikovs

Our week in Moscow was extremely uneventful. I mad fast friends with Mikhail. He was really a softy. Katy officially dubbed him her boyfriend. Alex wasn't really a friend, but we got along well enough.

Today we are going to Novosibirsk. Mikhail is really happy about that because his girlfriend lived in a small town only three hours from where we're staying. Liss and Christian decided that we would go there for two days so that Mikhail could see his girlfriend. Mike arranged everything so that we would stay with their family. We're staying tonight in a hotel in Novosibirsk and then going to Baia first thing in the morning.

I am kind of nervous because I know that that is the town Dimitri grew up in. Yet, I'm also curious. Being here now, I can see what captivated him so much about his homeland. It is beautiful. Katy loves it. She can't get enough. When I told her that Baia is where her daddy grew up, she wanted to go. That's partially why Lissa and I said it was okay. No one can deny Katya. Her and her puppy eyes; they'll be the death of me.

The hotel we're staying in isn't as nice as the last one, but it's still amazing. Katy and I were out before our heads hit the pillow.

Woke up in the morning to Katy jumping on my bed. Screaming for me to wake up. We got dressed quickly and met everyone else in the lobby. Thought Mike's Guardian mask was on; you could still see how happy he was just by looking at him.

"Don't look so happy. You might combust." I said to him as we approached. His smile jut grew.

We were taking a van similar to the ones they had at . I tried not to think about the car ride back from Missoula with Dimitri. Instead, tried to remain vigilant. Mike had told me that the road to Baia was a dangerous place.

When we finally got to Baia; I really needed to pee. It was around noon when we got to Mike's girlfriend's house. It looked nice and cozy. Homey. When we were all out of the car, Mike went to ring the doorbell. We heard some clamouring around inside and I chuckled a little, getting a disapproving look from Lissa. It was opened by a woman probably in her late twenties or early thirties. She launched herself directly into Mike's arms and he spun her around with a huge smile on his face. After they said a few words in Russian she turned to us with a big smile on her face.

I was momentarily stunned by her appearance. Her hair and eyes were the exact same colour as Dimitri's. Oh no. This could not be his family. No! When her eyes landed on Katy they lingered. She was obviously confused. Thought Katy has my hair, she has her father's eyes. I snuck a peek at Liss. She was also looking confused.

I was pulled from my inner babble by Mike introducing us.

"Guys, this is my girlfriend Karolina Belikov." No! I could feel Lissa's eyes on me but I couldn't move. Damn! This couldn't be his family. Seriously. What are the chances that out of all the people living in Baia, it had to be Dimitri's family I was staying with? Seriously! I need to pull myself together. " Karolina, this is my charge Vasilisa Dragomir, her husband Christian Ozera, Rose Hathaway; Lissa's best friend and Guardian, and Rose's daughter Katya, but she likes to be called Katy."

Karolina greeted us politely and invited us in, thought I noticed that her eyes would always drift to Katy and I. Damn, I hope Dimitri didn't tell them about me.

We walked in and she brought us to the living room where everyone else was. When they saw us, they all automatically stood to greet us. Karolina introduced us to her son Paul and daughter Anya, one of her younger sisters; Sonya, Sonya's daughter Khristine, her mother Olena and her grandmother Yeva. She told us that her younger sister, Viktoria, was at work still. I was a little weary of Yeva. Dimitri had told me about her. How she is a witch or something. I didn't like the way she looked at Katy and I; knowingly.

When Karolina introduced us I, again, noticed how the Belikov's looked at Katy and I more than was usual for when you just meet someone. There was kind of an awkward silence broken by Katy, of course.

"Mamma, I'm hungry." She said matter of factly. Everyone gave a small laugh.

"So like her mother. Honestly, I'm surprised your not obese you two." Christian said with his signature smirk.

Katy and I both turned on him at the same time. Hands on hips and death glare in place.

"Okay, okay! I'm sorry!" Christian said, hiding behind Lissa.

"And he hinds behind his girlfriend. I think that for that he should get an extra special punishment. What do you think Katy?" I asked. You could see the fear clearly on Christian's face. The Belikovs were just watching with amusement. "I was thinking something along the lines of unmerciful tickling."

"Perfect." Katy said with a mischievous smile in place. I looked down at her and she nodded. Then we lunged, tackling Christian to the floor. He was crying of laughter in no time. A little while in, Paul decided to join us. Too soon, Lissa told us to stop, though she was laughing like everyone else in the room. Christian got up and glared at everyone. Liss was at his side in an instant, trying to fix his wounded ego.

"So, Katya, you said you were hungry. Well, you're in luck because I just finished making lunch." Olena said.

"Thank you Olena." Katy said. Usually she was like me; rude and impulsive, but she has moments where I can see Dimitri in her too. She is always polite to strangers. Well most of the time.

The rest of the day was nice. I can see why Dimitri loves his family so much. They are all amazing people. Katy was not bored at all. Anya and Khristine are about her age, but she likes playing with Paul better. He's about ten. I really enjoyed watching my baby girl play with her cousins. Thought no one but Lissa, Christian and I knew that they were.

At five thirty, Viktoria came home. She's only a year younger than me and I can tell that we're going to be good friends. They were all curious about me, so I promised to spar with Viktoria soon. Mike and Karolina disappeared soon after lunch and we didn't see them again until after dinner. I really home that they get the happily ever after that I didn't. They're perfect together. Yeva didn't say anything to Katy or I, apparently she doesn't speak English, but she was looking at us all evening.

The only time they mentioned Dimitri was when they were talking about sleeping arrangements. Katy and I will be sleeping in his old room and Liss and Christian will be in the guest room. I'm not quite sure how I feel about sleeping in his old bed. It only added to the ache in my chest.

His room was simple. Only basic furniture and a bookshelf full of old western novels. I can picture him laying on his bed reading about damsels in distress. Katy and I curled up on his bed and I went to sleep imagining him here with us, curled up beside me and holding our daughter.


	5. Good Morning Life Story

Good Morning Life Story

I woke up in the morning to a pair of small arms shaking me and my Katya yelling, "Wake up momma! Get up. Come ooooon!" To say I was surprised would be the new understatement of the year. Katy _never _wakes up first and I always have to drag her out of bed. _Maybe it's being here in Russia_. I thought, but the small voice in my head whispered, _maybe it's being in a house with her great-grandma, grandma, aunts and cousins_.

Turning my thoughts down a less depressing road I decided that while I was in a Dhampir community I would explore it. I had always wondered what one would be like.

I quickly shot up, rolled on top of Katy, being careful not to squash her of course, and blew raspberries allover her stomach while she writhed and giggled around.

"No! Momma stop!" she giggled. After giving her one last raspberry on her little belly I slid off her and stood up, pulling her with me. I quickly hoisted her onto my shoulders and walked out of Dimit…_his_ bedroom and down stairs.

Everyone was already dressed and sitting in the living room. Katy was still giggling away on my shoulders and I'm sure I had a huge grin on my face. It made me happy that my daughter was so full of life. Everyone greeted me when they saw me, and Lissa gave me an exasperated look. I just shrugged.

"Good morning everyone." I said cheerily.

Christian snorted and said, "Rose, morning was three hours ago."

"Maybe to you fire boy." I said knowing it would provoke him. Sadly, before he could come up with a smart come back Lissa interrupted giving us warning glances.

"So, what shall we do today." She asked perkily. I didn't want Mikhail to be working while he should be with his girlfriend. You need to spend as much time s you can get in our profession with the ones you love because you never know when your time may expire.

"Why don't we look around town." I said. I notice then that everyone's attention was focused on our group. Addressing Mike I said, "You stay here with Karolina and have some fun. You deserve it." He tried to protest but I cut him off. "Don't even try it Mike. We're Guardians and we don't get opportunities like this very often so no arguing.' I said forcefully. He just nodded smiling slightly.

"Would you two like some breakfast?" Olena asked kindly. "I saved some for you."

"Yes please." Katy said. Olena smiled and went to the kitchen.

After a few moments Khristine broke the silence. "Rose?" she asked shyly. "Umm…" I gave her a reassuring smile, "How many molnija do you have?" Sonya was going to apologize but I held up my hand and motioned for Khristine to come over to the couch where Katy and I sat. She crawled up beside me and looked at me expectantly.

"Well, everyone seems to be wondering about my story so maybe I should just tell it once from start to finish." Sonya and Karolina looked a little sheepish but Viktoria who had been quite quiet this morning just sat there expectantly. I noticed that Olena and Yeva came in from the kitchen so I started. Of course I couldn't very well tell them that the little girl beside me was Dimitri's daughter so I decided to sensor that part out. Taking a deep breath and pulling Katya stark to my side I began my strange life story for people I had only just met yet trusted explicitly. The Belikovs.


	6. Life Story

Life Story

I told them about Lissa and I running away and how "Guardian Belikov" was on the team of guardians that came and brought us back to the academy. I spoke of him knowing Liss and I had a bond and how he stood up for me to keep Lissa and I together. How he became my mentor and was patient with me. I told them a little about Spokane but kept the grisly bits to myself ––– there were children in the room.

I had told Katy stories about her uncle Mason who she never got to meet, but never about how he met his end. She was putting on a brave face, but I could tell it made her sad. But at the same time she respected him for coming back and saving her momma.

I told them the bullet points of Spirit and how I died and Lissa brought me back. I didn't tell them about the ghosts or the Darkness though.

I did my best to make it sound like Dimitri and I were only Mentor and Mentee, friends at most, but I slipped up a few times and called him by his name.

I knew Katy was going to be curious about him and that worried me. I was going to have to tell her but I need to tell him first. Even if he doesn't want me, I know he's always wanted a family. I was surprised when he didn't go to Tasha after he left.

The Belikovs were surprised I knew their son, brother, uncle so well and I was getting weird looks from Yeva, Olena, Karolina, and Viktoria, but I chose to ignore them.

When I finished my story Viktoria, Viki, offered to take Lissa, Christian, Katy and I on a tour of the town.

Dimitri POV:

For the past five years I have lived without truly living. I've been breathing, my heat has been beating but I have not been living. The day I left my Roza, my beautiful Rose, was the day that any chance I had at happiness vanished.

When I received the letter I knew I had to leave. For Rose's sake. So, though it broke my heart, I left. The obvious place to go would be to guard Tasha, but it wouldn't be fare to anyone if I did that. I know that she love my in a way that I can not return.

After thinking about it for a few hours I decided to go home, to Russia. I decided to guard at the academy there, St. Basils Academy. I would not be able to focus on my job if I guarded a single person, and I love to teach, to help novices discover their full potential. So, I did that, ad that's been what I've been doing for the past five years.

For my first year there my younger sister, Viktoria, was at the school and I taught her year. I know that she noticed something was wrong with me, but she didn't push me. She knows my limits.

I visit my family in Baia once a year now, it was more at first but I know they knew something was troubling me so my visits became less and less often. I feel guilty but I feel worse about not telling them about Rose. I was ashamed at first but now I just want to keep her memory to myself. I feel as if if I tell them about her what I have left of her will disappear.

Mamma and the others don't ask me to come home because they know I need my space and that I have a job to do but I know that they miss me. Right now it's the summer holiday. Most of the kids go home here unlike at St. Vladimir Academy.

The Head Guardian, Guardian Novak, is making me leave for a holiday. He is very much like Guardian Petrov and I admire them both so I gave into his wishes.

So, here I am, standing outside my childhood home. Yeva probably saw me coming so it may not be such a surprise I'm here.

Checking to make sure my "Guardian mask" as Rose called it, was firmly in place, I knocked on the door one, two, three times.

_ Here we go._


	7. She's a Hathaway

She's a Hathaway

We had a lot of fun with Viktoria. Baia was not at all what I expected. It was just a normal village. Mostly everyone was human and I didn't see anything like what we had been told Dhampir communities were like. I learnt a lot more about Viki as well. Turns out that she doesn't want to leave home to become a guardian but she's working at the community centre to give self defence classes.

Katy really enjoyed herself. We stopped at a small part on the way back to the house and Katy had a lot of fun exploring to odd play structure. You'd be surprised at how different the playgrounds are from what they look like back at Court.

After a few hours in the sun, Lissa and Christian we starting to feel dizzy from the sun so we headed back to the house.

When we arrived, Yeva was acting strange, even for her. Not ten minutes later, Katy ran up the stairs and returned a few minutes later with an old book in her small hand.

"Katy, where did you get that?" I asked.

"I took it off of the bookshelf in Dimitri's room," she said a little bit sheepishly. Then she turned to Olena, "Do you think he would mind if I read this?"

Olena honestly seemed a little bit shocked. "You can read?"

Katy stood up a little taller and squared her shoulders. She really didn't like being treated like her actual age. "Oh course I can read! I'm not stupid. Mamma taught me how and Uncle Adrian and Aunty Lissa are teaching me how to speak Russian too."

"I did not mean to offend you Katy, but most children your age can't read. I was just pleasantly surprised. But why do you want to learn Russian?" Olena asked after she collected herself.

"My daddy's Russian." She said proudly. The others in the room looked at me questioningly.

Lissa shot me a worried glance but, though it hurt to hear her speak of him, I pulled myself together and gave her a reassuring smile.

"Have you been here before Rose?" Sonya asked curiously. Olena shot her a look that clearly said, 'Stop it! You're being insensitive'. I gave a small laugh and shook my head. Katy went off and started to read her book. The other's continued to look at me, obviously still curious.

I sighed and decided to give them _some _info without giving enough to clue them in on exactly _who _Katy's father is. "I met him at school, St. Vladimir's, down in Montana." There, that should be enough to satisfy them.

They all gave knowing nods, with the exception of Yeva. She just looked at me all knowingly...again.

After we ate supper we all congregated in the living room. Mikhail and Karolina had come back just before supper and had already gone upstairs to 'bed'. Katy was having fun with the other children––her cousins. They were teaching her more Russian.

"Momma?" Katy asked, "Can I spar with Paul tomorrow?"

Everyone looked at her like she was crazy. Paul was quite a bit older than her, and bigger.

"Why?" I asked. I really was curious. She was quite a bit like me, she liked to fight, but she didn't just do it for fun on her friends. But then again, she _is_ a Hathaway.

"Well, Paul said that he can't hit girls because he doesn't want to hurt them. I just wanna show him that you just aren't allowed to hit _weak_ girls, and you can only hit girls if they say it's okay!"

I looked over at Paul and, poor boy, he looked like a dear caught in the headlights.

"Katy," Olena started nervously, "are you sure sweetie? Paul has been going to school and training, I just don't wan't you to get hurt."

Katy just gave her a confident and somewhat offended look and said, "I can take him!"

Olena and Sonya looked at me for back up but I just shrugged. Katy wouldn't get herself into anything she couldn't handle.

"What can you do? She's a Hathaway." I said as way of explanation. "Besides," I added when they didn't seem reassured, "we have Lissa if one of them gets hurt." That just made them more confused.

I looked at Lissa––I really didn't want to have to explain that _again_.

Liss had just opened her mouth to speak when we heard a knock on the door. The Belikovs got a strange look on their faces as they looked at the clock on the wall, it was 9:30. Olena got up and went out of the room to open the door.

After a few seconds we heard the door open.

"Dimka!" Olena yelled happily.

Then I felt this pull, one that I haven't for years. I was pulling me to the front door and, well, who was I to resist. I stopped hearing or seeing anything around me. I had tunnel vision. I walked out of the door and into the hallway. It seemed as though I was moving in slow motion. As I turned the last corner between me and my summoner, I paused.

_What if he doesn't want to see me? What if he hates me? What if he only left to get away from me? Will he be mad that I am in his house? Will he–_

I was pulled violently out of my inner panic attack when I felt something hard and warm bump into me. I started to fall, too shocked to catch myself. As I prepared for the impact, I felt the The harm warmth circle my waist and pull me to it. Them I smelt it. The inexplicably wonderful scent that is Dimitri.


	8. A Beautiful Rose

A Beautiful Rose

Dimitri POV:

I took one last deep breath before I knocked on the door. I was nervous to see my mamma and sisters. I knew that Viki and Sonya were going to give me hell for staying away so long this time. Mamma tended to convey her displeasure in disappointed looks that send me on guilt trips every time.

I only had to wait a minute before the door opened.

"Dimka!" My mamma yelled as she through herself into my arms –– I caught her easily.

Then, I felt this pull. I hadn't felt is since I was at the academy...since I was with_ her –– _my Roza.

_No, _I chastised myself. I couldn't think of her here. My family would surely sense something. Yeva probably already knew. You can't hide anything from her.

Mamma let me go after a moment and the pull got stronger. It was like the one pulling me in was getting closer. But that's impossible. My Roza couldn't be in Baia, let alone my family home. Even though I tried to tell myself I was crazy, it was still there. In a trance, I let go of my mamma and started to walk towards it –– towards her –– even though my rational mind was telling me that I was crazy and shouldn't be getting my hopes up. I knew I could never see her again. It was for her own good.

As I rounded the corner to go towards the living-room, I felt something soft and warm bump into me. I reacted quickly and shot out my arms to catch whoever it was. As soon as my arms encircled her waist, I felt my whole body heat up. Quickly looked down to see the face of the damsel in my arms and felt my breath leave me in one long _whoosh. _

There, staring back at me, was the face of an angel. Well not an angel, but a rose. The most beautiful Rose I had ever seen. _My _Rose –– my Roza.

We stared into each other's eyes for an immeasurable amount of time. It could have been minutes, seconds or hours for all I knew. It felt as though she could see right through me, all the way to my soul –– my inner most secrets and desires.

After a while, I slowly puled he upright but didn't let her go –– never agin will I do that.

"Roza." I finally managed to whisper. She stared at me dumbly for a moment, like she couldn't believe that I was really there. It hurt me that the idea was so unfathomable to her.

Suddenly her arms were wrapped tightly around me and her beautiful face buried deeply in my neck as she clung to me –– unwilling to let go. But I was more than happy about that.

"Dimitri." She finally whispered. I loved the sound of my name coming off of her lips. I held her tighter as I murmured praises to her.

We were pulled from our reunion as I heard a throat clear. I quickly put some space between us but kept hold of her as I turned to face my family.

* * *

I will be posting more often now but shorter chapters, I hope that's okay!


	9. How Long AN

VERY IMPORTANT ANNOUNCMENT!

How ling should it take for Rose and Dimitri to get back together? Please answer it on the poll on my profile page. If you have any preferences about how she should treat him and how he should deal with finding out about Katy, please message me.

Thanks!

-Shelley


	10. Welcome Home Dimka

Welcome Home Dimka

Dimitri let go of me when we heard a throat clear in front of us. I was grateful that it gave me some time to think for a minute. He was here, he wasn't with Tasha. But then, why did he leave? Over the past few years I've tried to come terms with the fact that I may never know, but now I really wanted––needed––to know. I'll have to ask him later. Now we have to face his family.

With that thought, I turned around and was met with various looks form the Belikovs. Thank God Katy was still in the living-room. I needed to talk to Dimitri before she knew anything. I need to tell him first. Everyone except Yeva looked a little surprised. But not as much as I had thought they would. I guess I wan't that good at hiding it after all.

"Dimka!" Viktoria suddenly squealed as the hurled herself at him. He gave a hearty laugh and I revelled in the sound, it was so rare to hear him laugh like that. I had only heard that sound twice in all my time with him.

They all started talking rapidly in Russian and I heard my name being said more than once. I really wanted to know what they were talking about but I gave them some time. A few minutes later Lissa came out of the living room and I could feel her shock through the bond. She looked at me worriedly.

"It's alright Liss, I'm fine." I reassured her verbally. It really sucked that only she can mind-talk to me and I can't reply.

The others turned to look at us and Dimitri gave a slight bow. "Princess." He said as he slipped back into Guardian mode

"Please Guardian Belikov, how many times must I ask you to call me Lissa?" He just nodded at her. We both knew that he wouldn't stop for some time. He was too professional.

"So, Roza..." Olena trailed off.

"You and Dimka, huh?" Viktoria carried on, "Well, I can't say I am that surprised," Now it was my turn to be surprised. Had I really been that obvious?

Dimitri turned around to me and looked at me a little funnily; like he was trying to figure something out. "Roza, what are you doing here?"

I told him about Mikhail and that we were here for a holiday. I could seen on his face that he was relieved but still upset. I hoped that it was because I would be leaving soon.

Suddenly, Paul and Katy came running at us. "I'm gonna get you for that Paul! I'll kick your ass!" They came to an abrupt halt when they saw Dimitri.

"Uncle Dimka!" Paul exclaimed excitedly as he came and gave Dimitri a big hug. When they were finished greeting each other Dimitri turned his attention to Katy and, in true Katy nature, instead of introducing herself she said, "Who are you?"

"Katy." I warned her with a look. She rolled her little eyes at me and huffed a little while she turned back to Dimitri. "Hello, my name it Katya. Who are you?" Every one chuckled a bit as Dimitri crouched down to her level.

"My name is Dimitri. It's nice to meet you Katya," He said as shook her little had. I could feel my heat rise up my throat as I looked at them interacting.

"Mommy, in Dimitri a guardian too?" Katy asked me. Dimitri looked at me quickly and I could see the pain in his eyes and vice when he spoke next,

"Mom?"


	11. PLEASE READ!

Greetings to the fine folk that moderate our site.

Myself, along with many, have been writing and posting on your fine site for years now, some of the better examples of up and coming writers out there are now suddenly finding some of the stories we've come to love at risk of being removed without the chance to even rectify our errors.

For some, that means the permanent loss of a story. While I don't have anything that I believe violates your terms of use, there are those out there that are never able to recover a story in its original form, this is something I find to be almost worthy of a legal action, as while we cannot claim ownership of a character, the stories are OURS and simply destroying them is something that is inexcusable.

It's quite easy to simply add an MA rating, additional filters or even a simple requirement for a free membership to read the stories presented here, and would cut down on hateful anonymous reviews and posts at the same time, so I have to question as to why such a thing, in all this time, simply wasn't added.

If you're worried about falsification of a registration then have an appropriate disclaimer and then there can be no dispute, you took your steps and the PARENTS didn't monitor their children, if that is even your concern. If it is more of a personal view or desire then please at least let people know and give them a chance to remove a story that you and yours find offensive, most people on the site are actually rather cordial when it comes to such requests.

While I cannot say for sure if this letter will even reach those that may be willing to listen, of if it's more akin to a wide spectrum purge in preparation for something bigger, please understand that you are going to be looseing a LARGE number of your writers, and thus your income from a lack of readers if there is not some level of action taken to help with this situation.

For those that may agree with this, please feel free to sign on and send this to the support server, maybe we can get some movement on this.

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